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Original Welbike Technical Information
With my re-printed Welbike manual in front of me, here are some measurements, just in case you're interested.
Wheel base: 39 1/2 inches
Wheels: 12 1/2" x 2 1/4"
Overall length: 4 feet, 3 inches
Width: 12 inches folded
Height: 15 inches folded
Because of space limits on this website, I am unable to place the profile and plan line drawings used to make my replica
Welbike here. Contact Me and I will email you a .pdf if you want to see them.
To start a Welbike (taken from the operator's manual):
Raise steering column until the supporting member is secured by the locking pin.
The handlebars will fall into position naturally, but must be locked into position by tightening the milled screw
on the handlebar pivot.
Raise and tighten the seat (VERY important).
Remove both the fuel tank fill cap AND the vent cap on the opposite tank when filling, to ensure fuel flows into both
tanks. Fuel is 1 gallon of gasoline mixed with 1/2 pint of "best engine oil" which should be shaken before pouring into
the tanks.
With the tank sealed, unscrew the pump plunger and pressurize the tanks with 6 "sharp" strokes of the pump.
Open the "stop valve" of the tank so fuel flows to the carburetor.
Flood the carburetor by pushing down on the spring-loaded lever mounted on the carbuetor until fuel is seen dripping.
Close the choke slide.
Sit on the Welbike and pull the clutch lever all the way back with your left hand.
Open the throttle slightly with your right hand.
Push the Welbike a few steps, and with all your weight on the saddle, let out the clutch. The engine will start.
Use the clutch to let the Welbike idle without moving, but remember there is no neutral gear in the Welbike.
Open the choke slide after 30 seconds.
To stop the engine:
Since there was no ignition switch, the engine had to be stalled by bringing the Welbike to a complete stop with the
clutch engaged. The fuel could also be turned off at the tank, but my experience is it takes an engine like this 10
to 20 minutes to burn through the fuel remaining in the fuel line and carburetor.
Operational considerations:
In WWII, the Welbikes were air dropped full of fuel, so all the soldier had to do was unfold the Welbike, pressurize
the tank and ride off.
The tanks had to be re-pressurized every couple of miles, or else the engine would stop running due to fuel starvation.
The wheels were really too small to go cross-country, and would commonly dig into any holes they ran across.
Data, Parts and Supplies Availible in the Modern World
ENGINE
The Villiers 98cc engine is still availible in the United Kingdom and Europe, although what you're most likely to find
are ex-lawnmower engines. They were also used to power the Corgi (the Welbike's post-war derivative), which
is a very collectable motor-scooter, too.
According to technical data I've found, these engines were produced with very large internal clearances.
While this allowed the engine to produce full power with no break-in period, this also resulted in these engines wearing out
rapidly, which made anything powered by the engine considered as a disposable item. I've come across many
stories of Welbikes and Corgis being sold by their owners for as little as US$15 after only 2 or
3 years of use.
UPDATE, July, 2009
Good news! A visitor directed me to a company in the United Kingdom that services the Villiers engine. They
mainly work on post-war engines and bikes, but they do advertise service on wartime equipment. If you have an original
Welbike with a busted engine, this is the place you're looking for.
Click here to go to Villiers Services, UK.
There are replacement fuel tank pressurization pumps being made in limited numbers, they appear on Ebay from time to
time. I think the manufacturer is a member of the Yahoo Welbikes group.
MANUALS AND INFORMATION
Reproduction copies of the Welbike's driver's handbook and maintenance manual are availible from British Motorcycle
Parts.com (look in my links section). I own both books and they're good quality reproductions; they even make for humorous
reading when the famously restrained British military writing style tries to describe how to deal with the Welbike's primitive
operating procedures.
Also availible is a film that shows a real Welbike in action (albeit during a training excercise). Go to the gift
shop of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and look at their DVD section. There you will find "British Airborne Forces At
War" which is a collection of six wartime film documentaries featuring the Parachute Regiment. One of the films
was made during a large-scale excercise and features all their specialized equipment, including the Welbike (of course). These
IWM DVDs are region O (zero) so if you're living in the United States, some DVD players won't play it. However, the
DVD player on your computer usually isn't as sensitive to region settings and should play the disc without any problems.
That's how I watch my copy.
For those of you that want to learn more about the Welbike than I could ever write about here, do an Ebay
search for "Welbike" and you'll find a book titled FROM WELBIKE TO CORGI: EDITION 2, by Peter Miller. It's an excellent
collection of almost everything you'll ever want to know about this unique vehicle. As of September of 2007, this
book has been out of print.
TIRES
A reasonably close copy of the wartime Dunlop tread pattern is made by the Cheng Shin Tire Company of
China. It's listed in their 2007 catalog as tread pattern #C177 in their "Industrial Tires" catalog, part
number BRM19M. Supposidly, the SOE Museum at Herefordshire used a pair of these tires when they restored their
Welbike. They shaved off the Chinese markings and added proper WWII War Department "W broad-arrow
D" marks.
A NOTE ABOUT THIS TIRE:
This is an industrial tire and is not vehicle rated. This means that while the tire is perfectly safe
at the low speeds that anyone will operate a Welbike, it's not considered strong enough for use on a full sized vehicle.
I've not found a scooter store that will stock this tire for liability reasons.
A seller working through Ebay-UK carries these tires in the correct size. His screen name is "fairsfairplay" and
be sure you're logged into Ebay-UK, searching Ebay US won't find him. He's a bit expensive for American buyers because
of the exchange rate.
Scootercatalog.com also carries the tires, and they cost about the same there, plus they add a sgnificant shipping charge.
Update 09/17/09
Through a reader I've finally connected to a person who sells the Cheng Shin tires with the Dunlop wartime tread.
He goes by the screen name of "fairsfairplay" and uses Ebay UK. I haven't bought anything from him yet, so I can't make
any recommendations. If you've dealt with him, please contact me.
In addition, the same reader also sent me another on-line store, Scooter Catalog, which also carries the tire.
So now you have a choice. I'll probably be buying a pair of tires from either of these places, soon. Until then,
if you have any input to share about either of these sources, please contact me.
What Are They Worth?
I've added this section in response to the single most frequently asked question I get from this site.
Like all military collectables, price depends on condition. Also, Welbikes are a limited interest item, so if you
connect with someone who wants one, they can be worth a lot. However, Welbikes aren't as well known as the trucks and
jeeps that were used in WWII, so collectors interested in the Welbike are a bit more difficult to find, making the actual
value of a Welbike much less predictable. All the Welbikes that I've seen sold have been at auction,
so the actual dollar value had varied greatly. The auction history that I know of is:
In 2003 a Welbike with a running engine was sold by a person in Los Angeles on Ebay for $5500.
In April of 2006, another Welbike was sold in Australia for AU$6200 (at the time roughly US$5000). It was in
display condition and was part of the auctioning of the largest military vehicle collection on the Australian
continent after its owner passed away. That was a sad day.
In late July, 2006, a Welbike sold on Ebay for $3806. It was painted bright blue and white, and had an
air raid siren mounted to run off of the engine's flywheel. It had been used by the Shriners in their parades
and I believe the engine was in operating condition.
Since 2007, several "garage find" Welbikes have also been brought to my attention, all have been inheritances or
leftover from the 1950's. Mostly they've had inoperative engines, a common occurance with the Villiers. As far
as I know, none have been sold.
In June, 2009 I learned of a Welbike that will soon be put up for sale at Ebay. Stay tuned...
Additionally, I have been told (as of 09/17/09) of a Welbike coming up for sale at a professional auction house with
a starting price of $8000, expected to get $22,000! I think that's wishful thinking on the part of the seller.
I don't know if this is the same as the previously mentioned Welbike; I'll keep my ears open and let you know as soon as I
know.
IF YOU CONTACT ME FOR A GUESS AS TO THE VALUE OF YOUR WELBIKE:
At the very least, send a picture or two. I can't
tell you anything about what you have without seeing it. And remember, I can't give you an appraisal of your Welbike,
only an educated guess as to how much money your machine may sell for at an auction, or where to set your asking
price when selling privately.
On to page 4: My (almost) Welbike
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